An electrostatic chuck (ESC) is often used to electrostatically retain a substrate on a substrate support. In some configurations, the electrostatic chuck or alternatively, the substrate support including the electrostatic chuck, is utilized to provide bias power (e.g., radio frequency (RF) current or alternating current (AC)) to the substrate support in addition to direct current (DC) used to retain the substrate on the ESC.
The inventors have discovered that arcing can occur in some electrostatic chucks when RF bias power is applied to the chuck. For example, arcing may occur across air gaps between conductive components of the ESC.
Accordingly, the inventors have provided an improved electrostatic chuck that can reduce or eliminate arcing between conductive components in the chuck.